Biddle will spend November on sabbatical. When he returns in December, he will be named Senior Writer at Gawker, focusing on subjects related to the Internet, including cybersecurity, cryptography, activism and politics. (Gawker employees who have been with the company four years are encouraged to take a one month paid sabbatical.)

Biddle and Gawker say his transition away from Valleywag has been planned for months. Importantly, they insist the decision preceded Gamergate, a loose online movement that recently targeted Gawker and Biddle specifically, and appears to have damaged the company's relationship with some advertisers.

A source says Biddle's snark wasn't appreciated by all of Gawker's management team, either, though, which may have added a certain urgency to the editorial shuffle. The response by Adobe, which promptly distanced itself from bullying, and from Gawker, in a tweet, was an ominous sign, which may have made a full-scale advertiser exodus all too easy to imagine. But according to Read, no one at Gawker "encouraged" Biddle to move and his writing is appreciated both internally and externally.

In September, Biddle was approached by former Gawker editor A.J. Daulerio to work for his forthcoming site, Ratter, which may also have sparked conversations about his position at Valleywag. "I've been anxious for several months now to make use of Sam's formidable talents as a writer and reporter on Gawker proper — and he's ready to broaden his horizons and expand his scope to non-tech industry subjects," Read added.